We love spring activities that get kids moving! This fun rainbow parachute activity will be a hit with your little ones for sure!
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What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of St. Patrick’s Day? For me, it’s RAINBOWS! I love the bright colors and the sure sign of spring ahead. I recently came across a colorful parachute game that was written by Rich Lynerd, a PE teacher from Maryland.
It was based on the poem “The Big Circle” by Brod Bagert and is an awesome way to incorporate some gross motor movement into a St. Patrick’s Day theme and is perfect to add to your list of parachute activities for preschoolers through 2nd graders.
Looking for more St. Patrick’s Day fun? Check out these free St. Patrick’s Day printables!
Rainbow Parachute Games
What You’ll Need:
-a colorful parachute
–different colored yarn balls (beanbags or other small balls would also work)
What to do:
A leader will need to read the poem as the children perform the requested movements and engage in the different rainbow parachute games. The parachute activity is broken into parts and should be performed in sequence.
“I’m a seed that needs to grow, so hurry sunshine, melt that snow.”
-Place yarn balls in the middle of the parachute and have the children shake the chute gently to make the seeds (balls) spring into the air.
“My roots are creeping through the crud, curling underneath the mud.”
-Raise the parachute up and call out the names of a few children to crawl underneath the mud (parachute), while the other children shake the chute gently. Give everyone a turn to move under the parachute.
“My stem is rising, long and green, into the air so fresh and clean. My luscious leaves are having fun, basking in the morning sun.”
-Give each child one yarn ball. Call out the colors of the yarn one at a time. The kids should throw their yarn ball onto the parachute as they hear their color.
“Busy, little buzzy bee, I’m a flower, come find me.”
-Choose two children to be the bees and two children to be the flowers. The flowers go underneath the parachute and crawl around, while the bees crawl on top of the parachute (low and slow for safety) trying to find the flowers. When they find them, they should tap them gently.
“I grew with such amazing speed, but once again I’m just a seed. Hurry, sunshine, melt that snow. I’m a seed that wants to grow.”
-First make the flower (parachute) grow by raising it over your heads, step inside without letting go and then sit down on the inside of the parachute, making sure to sit on the edges of the parachute.
-Have the kids keep the parachute under their bottoms and scoot towards the center. This will make the “flower” rise and grow.
More Parachute Fun & Rainbow Parachute Games
Check out these other fun parachute game ideas from Your Therapy Source!
Learn more about how to introduce parachute play with babies and toddlers from Read Sing Play.
This fun rainbow parachute has holes in it and comes with a set of colorful balls. Kids can try to work together to maneuver the parachute to get the balls to fall through the holes!
More Fun Rainbow Themed Activities for Kids
Healthy Rainbow Snacks for Preschool and Young Kids
These fun rainbow snacks for kids are the perfect way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day and the arrival of spring!
Build a Rainbow Game [FREE PRINTABLE]
Check out this free printable rainbow game for working on grasping and fine motor coordination skills.
Rainbow Scavenger Hunt [FREE PRINTABLE]
Kids will love moving their bodies in different ways to find the different colored objects on the free printable.
Rainbow Throwing Game
Work on throwing toward a target with this simple rainbow game!
Find all of our rainbow themed activities for kids here!
Rainbow Themed Interactive Movement Game
In this simple movement game for younger kids, the main character is looking for the missing colors of his rainbow!
Kids click through the pages and perform different movements as they retrieve objects of different colors to complete the rainbow.
This game is designed for younger kids who are just learning their colors.
Click here to learn more!
